The amount of data needed for and produced during the operation of aircraft is growing at a rapid pace. This data is used for various cabin systems, avionics systems, and in-flight entertainment (IFE) systems, among other types of systems and applications. Airlines are typically responsible for supplying new data to aircraft and timely downloading of various data, e.g., collected during flights, from the aircraft. All these activities require fast and secure data transfers between aircraft and external networks, while the aircraft are on the ground (e.g., parked at gates). Currently, airports throughout the world use a wide range of communications systems, making it difficult and costly for aircraft travelling among these airports to upload and download data. Furthermore, access to communication channels is not always sufficiently restricted.
What is needed are methods and systems for transmission of terrestrial data between aircraft and ground-based systems that are standardized and secure.